


The Mountain Fortress

by noblescientist



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: I feel I should apologise for the title, I suck at naming fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 17:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7472037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblescientist/pseuds/noblescientist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inquisitor Asya Lavellan does not enjoy exploring the Tombs of Fairel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mountain Fortress

They had entered the camp rowdily enough, with Dorian lamenting the sand and cold, and the Iron Bull celebrating the number of ‘Vints they had killed (though, to listen to him, he had done most of the work). Cole, as usual, had little to say, but his eyes were bright as he followed Bull and Dorian into the camp. Asya made a show of stretching with a groan, but was otherwise unusually quiet. Solas watched her closely, and followed a few steps behind when she climbed atop a fallen pillar near the edge of the camp rather than sitting around the fire with the others.

 

“Asya, what’s happened?” He asked gently.

“Nothing, really,” she sighed. “I’m fine, just a bit tired.”

Solas’ eyes narrowed. “You are very much not fine, and you're very bad at hiding it.”

“Thanks, Solas,” Asya replied sarcastically, pursing her lips.

“I only say it that way because you're usually better at that. Whatever happened clearly has you rattled.” He scaled the side of the pillar-- rather the hard way-- to sit beside her. “You don’t have to tell me if you do not wish to. It just seemed a bit odd that everyone was celebrating but you.”

 

Asya snorted. “Dorian was hardly celebrating. He hates the desert.”

Solas smiled wryly. “I hardly think you’re in love with it either.”

“No, you’re right, I don’t exactly enjoy breathing dust and sand.” She sighed. “I’m just… not a fan of these tombs, especially.”

Solas looked surprised. “Oh? I thought you enjoyed learning of other cultures.”

“I do,” she answered hastily, “I just… they’re not just buildings, Solas, they’re _tombs_. Half-buried under tons of sand, and only recently excavated.”

 

“You dislike being underground,” Solas inferred.

“ _Yes_ ,” Asya groaned. “And this last one, up the mountain-- I’ve never been so deep below ground! There was a steep ramp down, about two floors. And then two long ladders, which covered the distance of three-- or at least, two with vaulted ceilings. And then we hit a decent floor and walked a bit. And then there were two stairwells, and two more bloody ladders, longer than the first two! By the time we hit the bottom level, we were probably underneath this camp. From the top of the mountain!”

“That is a long way down.”

“And then--” Asya laughed uneasily. “Then Bull says, ‘the old dwarves built this city like a mountain might fall on it.’ Which was not exactly what I wanted to hear. I mean, I know what he meant. He was admiring the architecture. He meant a mountain _could_ fall on it and it would be fine. But that isn’t what I heard.”

 

“You’re starting to sound like Varric.”

Asya paused. “So you _do_ listen when you’re not calling him ‘Child of the Stone’.”

“Of course. I always listen. Besides, he tends to make his opinions known in the Deep Roads.”

“‘Have I mentioned I hate the Deep Roads?’” Asya parroted. Solas chuckled.

“Precisely. Though I did notice your discomfort in Valammar, I had assumed it was merely vigilance due to the Carta presence.”

“Oh no,” Asya responded, “I hate the Deep Roads almost as much as Varric. But with less cause.” She grimaced. “Or at least, an unrelated cause.”

 

Solas turned to face her fully, crossing his legs under himself, and held her gaze expectantly. She took a deep breath and looked away before explaining.

“There was… when we were travelling in the Free Marches, there were a lot of caves near where we camped. Not deep ones, you understand. Nothing which might house cave spiders. Just your average shoreside cave. I had a lot of freedom outside my training, being the Keeper’s First, and my brother Ilari was training to be a hunter, so I went with him some days. One morning he was fishing by the shore, and fishing is quite boring, so I went exploring nearby. Looking for shells, crabs, clams-- some useful stuff, but mostly exploring. And I went into one of the caves.

 

“I thought I’d struck lyrium, with all the crabs I found in that cave. But they had come ashore to escape the current and being smashed on the rocks. I didn’t realise there was a storm coming. By the time Ilari was done fishing for the day, I was long gone, and the sand was soft enough that it didn’t hold footprints. He knew the storm was coming. So he ran back to the aravels fast as you please, found Hahren Gamel, and the two of them ran back to the beach to look for me. The storm had started, and it was getting bad, but Ilari wouldn’t let Hahren Gamel stop looking for me. Apparently they saw the rockslide from across the beach, and Ilari told Hahren Gamel I must have been in the cave.” Asya took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know how long it took them to find me. It felt like hours. I just know the cave ceiling had collapsed and it was starting to flood through the sand and the rocks, and I was caked with mud to my mid-thigh when they finally pulled me out.”

 

Asya glanced back at Solas and found she couldn’t look away. His eyes were full of compassion and concern, brows drawn tight as a bowstring.

“Asya, that’s terrible. And Cole didn’t notice anything awry?”

She shook her head. “He was more concerned with Dorian-- he looked in and nearly fell on our way down. I think he’s afraid of heights.” She snickered briefly. “Bull offered to carry him. Cole told him Dorian thought he’d drop him halfway down.”

Solas smiled. “I’m sure it was less something he thought would happen and more a retort that he didn't say aloud.”

“Definitely,” Asya agreed. “But it certainly distracted the three of them until Bull started admiring the architecture. And then they started bickering again. I don’t think Cole had time to notice me.”

 

Solas uncrossed his legs and dropped one foot over the edge of the pillar. “I’m sure you could find some way to prepare yourself in the future. There are more tombs, are there not?”

“There are,” she confirmed. “What are you thinking?”

Solas shrugged. “Perhaps an elfroot or embrium salve under your nose, or pressed into your kerchief. Nobody would think twice about you pulling it up over your face in a dusty tomb, and the smell could help ground you, as well as easing your breathing.”

Asya nodded thoughtfully. “And there are any number of potions with those ingredients, we’ve got plenty packed away.” She smiled shyly. “Thanks for listening. I feel better already.”

“Of course. As I said, I always listen.”


End file.
